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Seneca's tragedies and the aesthetics of pantomime

Abstract

In this thesis I explore the affinities between Seneca's tragic plays and pantomime, arguably the most popular dramatic genre during the Roman Empire, but relatively neglected by literary critics. The research is thus designed to make not only a significant contribution to our understanding of Seneca's tragic art (especially through the explanation of formal features that depart from the conventions of fifth-century Attic drama and have long puzzled scholars), but also to Imperial performance culture more generally. In particular, I hope to shed light on the interaction between so-called 'high’ and 'low' forms of artistic endeavours at the time, which previous scholarship has tended to overlook.